Follow The Red Brick Road
by MirandaOfMilan
Summary: When Dorothy is in Munchkinland, have you not wondered what would have happened if Dorothy would have followed the red brick road instead of the yellow one? Well, I did.
1. Arriving in Oz

_Hello. This is my first self-written story after some translations. Please notice that i am no native speaker of English._

_I only know the film 'The Wizard of Oz, but none of the books._

* * *

„Good morning, Toto. You wouldn't believe what I dreamed last night. It was Miss Gulch, she wanted to take you away from me, but you returned. Then we went to a fortune teller, who told me Aunt Em was ill of sadness. But when we returned here, a tornado pushed our house up in the sky. What a stupid dream! But, come on, let's make breakfast for Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. I'll just open the window."

When Dorothy did this, she screamed. What she saw outside was definetly not her farm, but a colorful garden full of strange-looking flowers and trees. She stepped out of the house and turned around in wonderment.

„Toto, I don't think that we are in Kansas anymore. Maybe my dream was no dream at all, and the tornado took us over the rainbow."

Suddenly, a beautiful woman in a white dress appeared right before her and explained that Dorothy was in fact in Munchkinland in the world of Oz. She also introduced herself as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, and the Munchkins, who were funny little people and thanked Dorothy for defeating the Wicked Witch of the East. Only then, Dorothy saw the feet that lied exposed at the wall of her house. Before she could understand everything, another witch joined them, the Wicked Witch of the West. She wanted to take the dead witches' ruby slippers, but Glinda gave them to Dorothy and made the Wicked Witch her enemy, but, for the moment, powerless against her.

„You want to return home?" Glinda asked Dorothy afterwards. „Well, that could be a problem. But I know someone who could help you: the Wizard of Oz. To find him, you only have to follow this yellow brick road."

Dorothy did as she said, and the Munchkins watched her, repeating Glinda's words.

„Follow the yellow brick road."

„Follow the yellow brick road"

„Follow the yellow brick road""

„Stop!" Dorothy suddenly screamed. „That was one time too much. I can remember what is said to me without beeing told so every third second. It is enough, I am qite sure there are others who can help me. And, you know what? I hate the colour yellow. I will walk the red road. Maybe it will take me to somebody more competent than you and your wizard. Come on, Toto."

The Munchkins were so dismayed and shocked that they did not know what to do. They all looked to the place were Glinda had stood, but the witch had disappeared only moments ago. Finally, one Munchkin asked where the red brick road would lead to, and Dorothy could hardly understand the whispered answer.

„It leads to the South."

* * *

_Sorry if Dorothy sound to agressive in this chapter. She is only overreacting because she can not understand what has happened. (And let's be honest. That the song 'Follow the yellow brick road' only consists of that one sentence is kind of annoying)_


	2. The Black Leopard

_I forgot to say I do not own Dorothy, Oz or the melodies of the songs. By the way, this is If I only had a HEART._

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It took some time before Dorothy realised how foolish it was to ignore the help of the Munchkins. She turned around, wanted to go back, but she froze in horror. There was no village, and no brick road of any color. Only an impenetrable forest. But Dorothy could have sworn that the road had been there, she still stood on it. The forest had been there, too, but only on the sides of the road. Dorothy became very nervous, but she continued walking foward. Then she heard the sound of footsteps, of breaking branches and howling wolfs. She climbed onto a tree and held Toto safe in on of her arms. She did not hide a moment too early. A pack of seven angry wild dogs crossed the road, and they hold their noses near the ground as if they were looking for somebodys scent. After they ran farther into the forest, Dorothy returned to the road.

„That was strange, Toto. I wonder what or who these wolfes were looking for."

„Probably for me." answered a Black Leopard while stepping into the sunlight. „I guess they had a bad hunt, or one of them was hurt, and they wanted to punish me for it."

Dorothy was confused by these words. „Sorry, but I don't understand you. It doesn't sound as if you had something to do with it. And you seem to be quite young, does your family not protect you from them?"

The Leopard sighed. „I have no family any longer."

„Oh, I am sorry. Did – did wolfes kill them?"

The Leopard shook his had and began to sing.

Black Leopard

When a fur, that should be shining,  
Is so dark, it makes me whining,  
Then life is not a game  
My family could not accept me  
I wonder if they would have kept me  
If I only looked the same.  
But because my fur is black  
They said 'Leave, and don't come back.'  
They said I am a shame.  
But I would not feel that sorrow  
Could look foward to tomorrow  
If I only looked the same.  
My family  
Abandoned me.  
And now that I live all alone  
At least my life remains my one.  
Life in the wood  
It's good  
Though for all of the mistakes,  
That anyone here makes,  
I always am to blame  
I could have grown up with my brothers,  
If I was golden like the others,  
If I only looked the same.

Dorothy could not say anything at the moment, she just looked to the ground sadly.

„Hey girl, it is allright, I have grown accostumed to that treatment."

„No. It is not allright. The color of your fur has nothing to do with your character. If your family does not understand it, she does not deserve you. Would you like to accompany me? I am looking for someone who could bring me home. I do not come from this country, maybe not even from this world. The good witch of the North told me to go to the Wizard of Oz, but I went the wrong way and can not return. And, by the way, my name is Dorothy."

„Dorothy, what a nice name. I really like to come with you, but I have no idea who could help you. Well, the Good witch of the South could have help you. She ruled this country for a long time, but she disappeared many years before I was born."

Dorothy thanked her new friend for that information and proposed walking on the Red Brick Road to reach the end of the forest. She really wanted to avoid another meeting with the wolfes, but she had no idea that much greater dangers waited for her...


	3. Enchanted Flowers

Sorry that I only continue writing now, but I had problems with my computer. Today's song goes with the melody of 'If I only had a brain'. Enjoy and review, please.

* * *

At first, the situation of Dorothy and Leo seemed to improve. They reached the end oft he forest and stepped out onto a wide grasland. Snowdrops and buttercups bloomed, and red poppies edged a small stream. It looked beautiful. So beautiful that they decided to rest there for a few minutes. Dorothy took some apples of a tree for lunch and lied down next to Leo. She looked to the sky and saw how it got darker and darker, until the first stars began to shine. But, wait. The stars?

"Leo, it is much too late!"

"Hmm?"

"We wanted to look for somebody who could send me home, didn't we? But all we did was liying here and relaxing. Is that not strange?"

"Hmm?"

„Leo, are you listening to me at all? I walk on."

Dorothy stood up. Leo watched her lazy, but after some time he decided to follow her. At least she cared about him, something he could not even say about his own family. Together, they walked farther into the grasland on the Red Brick now and then, Dorothy still felt the desire to lay down, but she thought it was only because of the time of day, or night. That she had already slept around noon, when she had arrived in Oz, never crossed her mind.

In the moonshine, Dorothy saw a strange shadow at once. It was a girl sitting there, a girl with the wings of a butterfly. It braided its hair and sang quietly.

Lily  
I could play away the hours,  
Enjoy the smell of flowers,  
And no need to pretend,  
To pretend that I was cheerful,  
Nevermore I would be fearfulI,  
If I only had a friend.  
I would laugh and play a game  
With someone who feels the same.  
Time I would gladly spend.

Dorothy became sad when she heard these words. She could not imagine being lonely for so long, not even in such a wonderful place. To not scare the girl, she continued her song.

Dorothy  
We could swim or ride our bike,  
Dance ballet, go for a hike,  
If you only were my friend.  
Lily  
Oh, I  
could tell you why  
I sit here all alone  
Heard my prediction then told me to be gone,  
The man who sits on our throne.  
Or I could sing and dance all day  
I could laugh the day away  
Tell tales with happy-ends.  
I would play and be merry,  
Life would be a ding-a-derry  
If you only were my friend.

"I am Dorothy, and I am looking for somebody who could bring me back home. This is Toto, my dog. And Leo accompanies us because his parents did not accept a Black Leopard as their son."

„Oh, they are stupid! My name is Lily, and I used to live with the Good Witch of the South. I was her advisor, because I can see into the future. But I knew no way to help her when I saw that the Dark Wizard would overthrow her. He hijacked her, but I do not think that she is dead. If we could find her I am sure that she would bring you home."

"And this Dark Wizard banned you?"

Lily nodded. But all her memoryies seemed to be very vague, she did not even remember if he had banned her for a certain phrophecy he did not like or just because she refused to work for him.

"Lily, have you ever tried to leave this place? Dorothy and Ihave felt very lazy and unmotivated to walk around here, we even forgot the time. Maybe a spell should ensure that nobody meets you here. But if we were able to move on, why should you stay? And maybe your memories will even return when you come home."

Lily said that she would have never thought of it herself, but she agreed with Leo that it was worth a try.


	4. In the castle

„Look. There it is!"

Stunning, Leo and Dorothy looked at the castle in front of them. It was built of amber, but the lack of light made it seem minatory.

„There have never been so many clouds in the sky while the Good Witch lived here." Lily explained. „The castle had been shining in bright shades of orange and yellow. The Dark Wizard is not good for this land."

„So, you remember how it had looked before? Have any other memories returned? Where can we find the Good Witch?"

Lily shook her head. She could not answer Dorothy's question. No matter how hard she tried, the memories of her life with the Dark Wizard remained vague. They had to get inside the castle. But how? While she was still thinking about it, Dorothy knocked on the door

„Wait, what are you doing?"

„Trying to get inside of course."

„Great! You don't mind that they could kill us now, do you? Why should the Dark Wizard welcome visitors?"

Lily was interrupted when a voice behind the door asked who they were.

„Hello. My name is Dorothy, and I come from a country far away from here. It is called Kansas. I got lost here and would like to know if could stay in this castle for the rest of the night."

It sounded as if the man would leave, and Dorothy just wanted to say that it has been worth trying when the door was opened. Dorothy followed the man through several dark corridors deeper and deeper inside the castle. Lily and Leo stayed right behind her.

But then she was pushed into a small room, and a door was slammed behind her. By Lily's screams Dorothy could tell that the winged girl has been pushed into another prison cell.

„It was a trap. I am so sorry Lily, I had no idea."

„Really? Then you are too naive. Did you expect the Dark wizard, who defeated the Good Witch, to be a nice guy after all?"

Dorothy thought of an appropriate answer when some soldiers marched around the ground. Through a tiny window, she could hear them sing and shout.

Soldiers

We work for the King

We work for the Dark

Prepare for the fight!

We'll be starting war

The very next night  
Keep straight ahead for the victorious date

When our fate we'll control, we'll decide

Hold onto your aim.

Hold onto your nerve.

Hold onto your force.

March to the Munchkins and make them give up!

We work for the King

We work for the Dark

Prepare for the fight!

We'll be winning war

Before it gets light

March to the Munchkins and make them give up, give up!

Lily, that is horrible! They want to attack the Munchkins. That would be the Dark Wizard's victory over Glinda, the other Good Witch. We have to get out of here. We have to find the Good Witch of the South. But how?


End file.
